Rerolling devices for cigars



Dec. 20, 1960 H. J. MAAS REROLLING DEVICES FOR CIGARS Filed Sept. 15, 1958 Heme/cos J ///),15

' Arrow/5V 2,965,105 REROLLENG DEVICES FOR CIGARS Henricus J. Maas, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignor to N.V. Vereenigde Tahaksindustrieen Mignot 8: de Block, Eindhoven, Netherlands, a company of the Netherlands Filed Sept. 15, 1958, Ser. No. 761,032 Claims priority, application Netherlands Sept. 13, 19:37 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-27) The invention relates to a rerolling device for smoothing out the glued tobacco leaf wound around a plug of filler tobacco or a bunch for a substantially cylindrical cigar, comprising a rotary cylindrical roller, a stationary wall coaxially surrounding the roller along a part of its periphery, and a rerolling space extending between the roller and the wall, through which space the cigars are moved while rolling and being exposed to a slight radial pressure.

In rerolling devices of this type the cylindrical rerolling surfaces soon become dirty by the still liquid glue, small pieces of tobacco and the like. This is why the rerolling device must frequently be cleaned during operation.

The invention has for its object to avoid in a simple way the disadvantage referred to. It consists in the provision of a scraper pressed against the cylindrical surface of the roller, a radially projectable and retractable scraping strip provided in said roller, and means adapted to press the scraping strip with its free edge against the stationary wall during its movement through said rerolling space and to retract it into the roller when it passes under the scraper. The scraper serves to scrape away the glue smeared on the surface of the roller and the scraping strip periodically sweeps the inner surface of the stationary wall clean. The rerolling faces are thus kept relatively clean, so that they smooth out the cigars passed through the rerolling space and give them a cylindrical shape without the danger of damaging the cigars due to the scraps of glue and the like which otherwise tend to remain on the rerolling faces.

The described rerolling device may further comprise a cam disk, a spring, and at least one two-armed lever carried by the roller and adapted to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of said roller. In this device the scraping strip is secured to the free end of one arm of the lever and the other arm of the lever is held with its free end in contact with the cam surface of the cam disk by the spring.

It is of advantage to have the scraping strip mounted for swinging movement about an axis lying substantially in the plane of the strip and loaded by a spring exerting on the scraping strip a force which is directed tangentially forward with respect to the direction of rotation of the roller.

For a fuller understanding of the invention reference is made to the drawing; wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 are end views of a rerolling device according to the invention in two different positions of rotation and Fig. 3 an axial cross-section taken on the line III-III in Fig. 2.

In the drawing 1 designates a roller adapted to be rotated about a shaft 2. A stationary wall 3 is provided which is coaxial to and lies at some radial distance from roller 1. Confined between the roller 1 and the wall 3 is a rerolling space 4, through which the cigars 5 are passed while rolling and being exposed to a slight radial pressure, so that the outer leaf of the cigars is well smoothed out and the cigars receive a rather exact cylindrical shape.

Completely cylindrical cigars do not indicate which end is the fire end and which the month end, so that the 2,965,105 Patented Dec. 26, 1960 wrapper leaf must be glued throughout the entire length of the cigar. In such a cigar a substantial amount of glue is used and since, in general, this glue will not yet be dry when the cigar is rerolled, there is a considerable risk that glue will be deposited on the rerolling surfaces. Consequently, these surfaces will become dirty and the danger of damaging the wrapper leaf by the scraps of glue and tobacco remaining on said surfaces is present.

In the illustrated rerolling device, a stationary scraper 6 is provided which is pressed against the cylindrical surface of the roller 1 and scrapes the glue away from this surface. A radially projectable and retractable scraping strip 7 is provided in a recess 8 of the roller. This scraping strip is linked by means of arms 9 to arms 11 at 10. The arms 11 are mounted on a rotatable shaft 12 which is carried by the roller and is parallel to the shaft 2. Connected to the shaft 12 is an arm 13 carrying at its free end a roller 14 which is pressed by a spring 15 against the cam-face 16 of a cam disk 17 held against rotation. A spring 18 tends to swing the scraping strip 7 forward with respect to the direction of rotation of the roller 1, the direction of rotation being designated by the arrow 19.

When the recess 8 of the roller 1 faces the wall 3, the roller 14 engages the sector of the cam disk 17 having the smallest diameter, so that the scraping strip 7 protrudes from the roller 1 and slides with its free edge along the inner surface of the wall 3, whereby glue and other products sticking to this surface are swept away. After the scraping strip 7 has left the rerolling space 4, the roller 14 will engage the sector of the cam disk having the greatest diameter, whereby the scraping strip 7 is retracted inwards against the force of the spring 15. The roller 14 remains in contact with the last mentioned sector until the recess 8 has passed under the scraper 6. Consequently, the scraper strip 7 cannot be damaged by the scraper 6. The scraper 6 and the scraping strip 7 serve to keep the rerolling surfaces almost free from glue, juices and tobacco scrap from the cigars to be rerolled.

What I claim is:

1. A rerolling device for smoothing out the glued tobacco leaf wound around a plug of filler tobacco or a bunch for a substantially cylindrical cigar, comprising in combination a rotary cylindrical roller, a stationary wall coaxially surrounding said roller along a part of its periphery, there being a rerolling space extending between said roller and said wall, the cigars passing said space while rolling and being exposed to a slight radial pressure, a scraper pressed against the cylindrical surface of the roller, a radially projectable and retractable scraping strip provided in said roller, and means adapted to press said scraping strip with its free edge against said stationary wall during its movement through said rerolling space and to retract it into the roller when it passes under said scraper.

2. A rerolling device as defined in claim 1, said means comprising a cam disk, a spring and at least one twoarmed lever carried by the roller and adapted to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of said roller, the scraping strip being secured to the free end of one arm of said lever and the other arm of said lever being held with its free end in contact with the cam surface of said disk by said spring.

3. A rerolling device as defined in claim 1, said means comprising supporting means for the scraping strip and a spring, said supporting means being mounted in said roller for swinging movement an axis lying substantially in the plane of said strip and being drawn by said spring in the tangential forward direction with respect to the direction of rotation of the roller.

No references cited, 

